Wire straightener



Nov. 2, 1954 HELLER 2,693,219

WIRE .STRAIGHTENER Filed Sept. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 j Z0-3 1 43 a Wll 34 15H: 49 Ari- 3 4 I; 1 I: 9 94 a 7 1 31 $0 I m? M I a 1 a 2 v E 1a3 Z5 4 5 Z i E 24 IN VEN TOR. RICHARD D. HEI LER ATTORNEYS R. 0.,HELLER 2,693,219

WIRE STRAIGHTENER Nov. 2, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 12, 1949 INVENTOR. RICHARD D. HELLER United States Patent 2,693,219 WIRESTBAIGHTENER Richard D. Heller, Tujunga, Calif., assignor to Heller &Paul, Inc,, a corporation of California Application September 12,1949,Serial No. 115,190

5 Claims. or. 153-1185) Wire,'as sold commercially in coils, oron reelsor swifts, has an inherent set. The primary set, and often the only setconsidered as possessed by the strand, is a coil set which tends tocause the strand to .loop round "and round in a continuous, more or lesscir nlar form. The amount of coil set is by no means uniform, for somecoils are closer to the center, and therefore wound more tightly about te re of h re l han oth s, n ar r the ou side of the coil, and theseinside coils have a somewhat tighter set, that is, a set with lesserradius.

Actually, the coil set is not the only set in the strand, for inaddition there is normally a helical set. The strand does not wrap aboutthe core in an exact circle, in a single plane precisely perpendicularto the coils axis, but each coil or wrap is displaced from a true circleby some amount axially of the coil, and this displacement, no matter howslight, gives it a composite set, which is neither precisely and solelya coil set, nor yet merely a helical set, but a combination of theltwo.Often, because the helical set is so small as compared to the coil set,and because the straightening of wire in the past has been subject touncontrollable inaccI-lracies of greater degree than the ,he'licalset,or has'ibeen accomplished, or attempt ed, by a process of malleabjlizingthe'strand to a degree that overrides all sets and inherent stresses,which often is in itself relied upon to effect straightening, or whichsometimes is followed by a traighteniug Operation unrelated in directionor degree to any initial set, there has been no advantage to be gainedby or procedure available for attackingdirectly the helical set. I havediscovered in the past (see my application Serial .No. 793,183, filedDecember 22, 1947 and later abandoned; and my application SerialNo.63,247, filed December 3, 194.8, issued May 26, 1953 as Patent No.2,639,758); how a wire strand can be handledand straightened,particularly with regard to its coil set, so. accuratelythat now theinaccuracy in the rem a of the he cal s e om a j r Prob m, i itself andin its relation to the accurate removal of the o l s t-- A furtherfactor which contributes to the strands set arises when the wire removedfrom a swift by flitting, which is the lifting of coils oil the end ofthe swift without r s n ing u wi d n ro at n the T twists the strandaboutits .own axis,';and addsstresses difiieult to calculate andunlikely to-be'uniform, but which result in unpredicta le d p r re romstraish n s mpounded upon the more regular departures arising from thecoil and helical sets.

Where wire, inorder -to employ it in subsequent commercial operations,must be needle-straight, this can not be achieved if in thestraightening process the strand is straightened only to eliminate thecoil set, for then the helical set remains, and any twisting as a resultof flitting remains also, and'the strand is. not precisely-straightened.Moreover, if it be assumed'in counterbending to, neutralize the coil setthat the .coil set is uniform throughout the strand, and hence thecounterbending force can be uniform throughout the length of the strand,it will be found that inaccuracy in straightening is a result of thisassumption, for since the coil set is not uniform a uniform neutralizingforce will not elfect straightening unless the invention of my abandonedapplication 793,183 is made use of. The helical set must also be takeninto account, and neutralized precisely, for it is not uniforminherently, and any twisting from flitting further complicates theproblem of precision straightening.

Heretofore in wire straightening operations I have employedcounterbending appli d more or less directly in opposition to the coilset, and have eliminated the helical set, if it needed to be consideredat all, primarily by a bending back and forth of the strand (see myPatent No. 2,639,758.) of such relative magnitude, and i i-such planegenerally normal to the plane of the coil set, that any helical set isoverridden by the malleablizin-g forces; so imparted to the strand.Always the coil set and the helical set were separately dealt with andneutralized, if the helical set were not completely disregarded, Neverbefore it was attempted .to neutralize precisely the helical set, nor toneutralize precisely and simultaneously, and at a single point, both thecoil set and the helical set, and the accomplishment of those ends inthat manner'is a major advance which characterizes .thepresentinvention,

Heretofore, as a preliminary to neutralization of coil set, havi g inmind the variation i degree of coil set in coils which lie close to orfartherfrom coils axis, .respectively, l have proposed giving to thestrand, immediately preceding the counterbending operation, a coil setof smaller radius than any which it had inherently, but which can bemade uniform in degree; see my abandoned application 793,183, and PatentNo. 2,639,758. This also precludes rotation of the strand about its ownaxis, which is in itself a major contribu ion to over-all accuracy, NowI have discovered that, if the helical set is to be directlyandprecisely neutralized, usually simultaneously with'neutralization ofthe coil set, variations of deg n the elica e 'mus li e i be e i d,andthe strand be given, in similar manner, an overriding helical Set, OfSQQI dqgree, so that it too can be neutralized by application of aconstant counter-bending force.

In sum, I have discovered that the secret of precisely straightening a itrand ha i g ere l r ac uircovery that straightening of a wire strandcannotbe accomplished accurately if the helical set be disregarded, or ifit be not individually and accurately neutralized, both as to directionand degree, and in the subsidiary discovery that it can be neutralized,and simultaneously the coil set can be neutralized, notw thstandingindeter minate variations of set inherent in or acquired by the strand,wholly accurately in a single passage or at a single point, if thestrand be first given a helical set-.- n a so a il s p et m n deg ee. ndd m: tion, sufliciently tight to override all previous sets and to gi ethe strand an acquired helical set and coil set, each of definite andunvarying degree and direction, and then, while insuring that the strandcan not rotate about its own axis, freeing its ofi-running end fromtension and subjecting the same to a counterben'ding force or forces,usually a singular constant force which is the resultant of and includestwo components, one opposite in direction and degree to the acquiredhelical set, and the other opposite in direction and degree .to theacquired coil set.

More specifically, according to the present invention an advancing wirestrand is gripped or vised between a pair of 'vising rollers lying in acommon generally hori zontal plane, one of wh'ch rollers constitutes afulcrum roller, and'the other of which, shallowly groovedcircumferentially, constitutesa guiding and forming roller; by reason ofthe fact that it is wrapped uniformly about the forming roller, and thatit is maintained under uni: form tension as it passes thereabout, thestrand is given a constant or uniform acquired set, whichpartakes ofthe"cha'racteristics of or is a combination of each of a coil set and ahelical set; with the strand tightly vised between these rollers andheld by the groove against displacement up or down, and of course,'toeit her side, it is caused to exit continually from the set-impartifng'or vising point, freed from tension, in a general direction uniformlycurved relative to and at one side of a tangent common to the tworollers at the vising point, and in a general upward or downwarddirection relative to the general plane of the rollers groove, as isdetermined by and characteristic of the sets imparted to it, of uniformdegree and direction, by its wrapping about the roller; the strands freeoff-running end is thereupon deflected closely beyond the vising pointby a deflecting force, usually by two constant forces in two unchangingdirections, or by a single resultant thereof, at a single deflectingpoint, to counterbend it about the set-imparting point as a fulcrum,precisely oppositely to the composite curvature which it has as a resultof the just-acquired coil set and helical set.

The uniform coil set is given the strand by wrapping it about theforming roller, and can be done, under some conditions, by a half-wrapof some 180, or under other conditions may require one and one-half (540approximately) wraps. Under the latter conditions a uniform helical setfollows automatically from the off-setting of one wrap by the adjoiningwrap. Under the former conditions the uniform helical set must beimparted otherwise, and can be done by guiding the strand onto thegroove of the forming roller from a line somewhat offset rom the groovesplane, confining it closely within the groove as its enters, and by thechange of direction thereby entailed giving it a helical set. Whicheverway the helical 'set is imparted to the strand, it is uniform, as is thecoil set; their resultant is uniform, and can be precisely countered bya counterbending force which is a resultantdirectly opposed thereto, indegree and direction, applied to the strand as it leaves the groove inthe forming roller, and the vising grip between the latter and thefulcrum roller.

' It is a further object to effect straghtening according to the novelprinciple just explained, whether the wire be of large diameter or smalldiameter or of hard or soft material, or, in other words, to provide awire straightener which is applicable more or less generally to allstyles and sizes of wire.

It is a further object to provide in such a machine suitable adjustmentswhereby the machine may readily be adapted to accommodate the differentsizes of wire within a reasonable range, or, by other simple changes canbe made to handle nearly all sizes of wire.

It is also an object to provide, for optional use in such a wirestraightener, a bank of rolls, adjustable as needed, and usable not toeffect straightening, but to malleablize the strand preliminary togiving it its uniform set, which in its turn precedes any straighteningoperation, and alternatively or additionally to insure a drag on theoncoming strand and consequent uniformity of application of forcesthereto at (but not beyond) the vising point, and operable under someconditions to direct the strand in a direction slightly oifset from theplane of the groove in the forming roller. Such malleablizing rolls arein general of known construction and usage, but the specific form andarrangement shown herein and preferred by me diifers from most banks ofrolls previously known to me, in that in passing through a single bankof rolls, all whereof have parallel axes, the strand is deflected notonly in a single plane, generally perpendicular to such axes, butlikewise is repeatedly and virtually simultaneously deflectedtransversely to that plane. In other words, it is given a compounddeflection, by virtue of a novel construction and arrangement of asingle bank of malleablizing rolls, such as ordinarily can only beaccomplished by two successive banks, the rolls whereof are setrespectively on axes at right angles to one another.

Thereby compactness and accuracy are further promoted.

Likewise, it is an object to advance the wire to a itraighteningoperation by pushing from a point in ad- Iance thereof rather than bypulling from a point thereeyon d. However, this is a matter ofpreference rather. han necessity, and the present invention is not to beestricted to a pushing advance, save as the same is called "or inindividual claims.

With such objects in mind, and others as will appear iereinafter, theinvention comprises the novel wire traightening machine and the novelmethod of straightenng wire, as is shown in the accompanying drawings,and s will be hereinafter described in this specification and laimed inthe claims which terminate the same. The avention is broadly new, andthe claims are to be broadly construed, except as the context ofindividual claims may require a narrower construction.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention embodied in a wirestraightening machine of a form such as is presently preferred by me,all as will appear more fully hereinafter.

Figure l is a general plan view of the machine in the process ofstraightening a strand.

Figure 2 is a general side elevational view taken from the right-handside of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the vising rollers, takensubstantially along the axial plane thereof as indicated by the line 33of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a general side elevational view of the preliminarymalleablizing mechanism, the viewpoint being indicated by the line 4-4of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a general side elevational view of the straightening rolland guide rolls which subsequently engage the strand, the viewpointbeing indicated by the line 5+5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged end elevational view of the cooperative visingrollers.

Figure 7 is a partial plan view of the principal operating parts of themachine, similar to Figure 1, but illustrating various possibilities ofadjustment, such as may be required by operation upon different sizes ofwire.

Figure 8 is a plan view of certain other operating parts of themechanism, showing the possibility of adjustment there as to degree ofcounterbending for straightening, and to control the direction of theolf-running straightened strand.

Figure 9 is an enlarged edge view of an alternative form of formingroller, illustrating the relationship thereto of the on-running wire.

The wire strand W is taken from a reel or swift, or from a coil, assumedto be located at the lower left in, Figure 1, and it can be assumed, asis preferred, that the general plane of the coils of the wire initiallylie horizontally and in the plan view, Figure 1, would appear ascircles, coiled counterclockwise. Since they are but little restrained,if at all, as they unwind from their coiled form, it is first necessaryto guide them and to restrain them, and to impose a drag upon them, sothat the strand at the vising point is subject to uniform tension. Thestrand is wrapped first about a guide roller 8 which is deeply groovedto accommodate various sizes of wire, and is restrained in the groove bythe retaining rollers 80 and 81; thence it wraps about a similar guideroller 82. It is convenient to accomplish reversal of the direction ofthe strand in its passage about the preliminary guide rollers, forthereby floor space can be saved. Its direction is subsequently reversedagain, as the drawings show. It will be noted that the guide andretaining rollers 8, 80 and 81 are mounted upon and stand up above thesurface of a base 9, whereas the guide roller 82 is supported upon anarm 91 which is pivotally mounted at 92 between a long and a short end,upon the base 9, and is secured in adjusted position by securing meansindicated at 93. The purpose of this adjustment will appear hereinafter.

The roller 82 serves as a guide roller, in conjunction also with aroller 83 mounted near the short end of the arm 91 and beyond its pivotpoint 92, to guide the strand into, through, and from a bank 7 ofmalleablizing rolls, all more or less generally alike, arranged inpairs, but designated, to distinguish them, the rollers 7a and 7b, andthe rollers 71a and 71b. The entire bank 7 of rol1- ers is supported ina plate 70 which stands uprightly from the arm 91 in a plane generallyparallel to the path of the strand as defined by the guide rollers 82and 83. These malleablizing rollers and their purpose, manner of use andadjustment will be explained in further detail hereinafter. It issufiicient at this point to state that their function, in general, is toimpose a uniform drag upon the strand, as it advances towards the visingpoint, and to malleablize the strand, if necessary, to an extent that itcan be formed while so malleablized into a coil set and a helical seteach of predeterminate and uniform degree and direction. It isconceivable that such malleablizing means will not always be required;they are primarily advantageous where flitting imparts to the strandunpredictable forms and stresses; hence. in its broader aspects theinvention is not dependent upon the provision and use of such means, norupon the use of means of this particular form.

cons sts Passing from the malleabili-zing means and past the guideroller 83, the strand teaches and wraps :at'least partially about aguiding and forming roller 1 which "is journaled at and which is mountedindirectly upon the base :9. The mounting is indirect in that the pivotpin is carried by a blockll which is guided through the medium of posts12 in a second block '21 which is .fastened .to the base -9 as by bolts21a, and which in turn mounts a fulcrum roller 2 vjourn'aled at '20 inthe block 21, The pivot 20 also constitutes the pivot of the base 9 upona sub-base 90 which is fixed,'and the adjustment of these two bases isretained in any given position by means such as are indicated at 94. Torevert to the cooperating rollers 1 and 2, which jointly constitutevising rollers, the roller 1 is continually urged toward the rotationalpressure roller '2 by springs 13 reacting between the fixed block 21 andadjustable stops 14 upon the rods 12,.

Fixed removably to the rollers 1 and lore the respective spur gears 15and 25, and one or the other Of'ihBSC gears, preferably the gear 25, maybepoWterdriVen, as by means of the sprocket-wheel 24 and drive chain C(see Figure 2), to effect advance of the strand. The driving ofthese-rollers is not essential, nor is it essential to advance thestrand by power applied at this pointin its path, nor bythese-particular mechanisms.

The roller 83 is more than a guide roller; it islikewise a confiningroller, to which end it is urged strongly towards the roller 1, by meanswhich will be described later in detail. The roller 1 is groovedshallowly as at 19 for instance, to a depth half the gauge orcrosssectional diameter of the strand, and the grooves width orcross-sectional shape 1s such that the strand is very closely confinedtherein, but since the strand does project beyond the periphery of theroller 1, it may be engaged and gripped by the confining roller 83, asalso by the fulcrum roller 2,. The roller 83 functions'under certainconditions, in theimpa-rting to the strand of its acquired uniformhelical set; under different conditions its action in this respect isless marked. Inthefirst case the groove 19 about the roller 1 is of awidth to receive and confine cl se y a s g rap nly f he s n and in hesecond case the grooves width similarly receives and confines closelyone (or more) and one-half wraps. In either event the point of issuanceof the strand is fixedly Position a d t e s n a hi p -may n t placed inany direction transverse to the strand, from this fulcrum point. Eachroller 1 is shown as having two grooves-.see Figures 6 and 9-.which areof somewhatdif'ferent size in order to accommodate two somewhatdifferent sizes of wire. For a greater difference in size of he Wire, adifferent roller is substituted. Only one groove is used at a time.

Inthe form shown in Figure 9 the strand is wrapped onlyhalf way aroundthe roller 1; in the alternative form of Figures 5 and 6, the roller 1receives one and one half wraps of the strand about it, hence its grooveis of a width twice the thickness of the strand- To illustrate, thestrand enters the groove at theguide roller 83, com.- pletes a wrap of360; and then makes another half wrap of approximately 180 to the pointwhere it; is gripped between the two vising rollers 1 and 2. Thereineither s g ap o d u le wrap rm, it emerges, as it wouldfrcm be en the jas of .a v sa tha h r he vise j w are r llers, and anew leng h of strandm r es c ntinu lly- The e are. tw Purposes in wrapping he strand thusaboutthe roller 1. One is to hold it securely against rotati n bou itsown ads, at or near the vising p in The t r is t g v i imm diatelysubsequent to. any mall abil ng act n, a o l se nd a h lical set, both,ach f hich i of n de enn n te des eand direc i n, he by bs g, fo ny p ss he s ran may have had, an overriding uniform coil set which normallywould be tighter or smaller i radius than its previous o l n a m l r y dng helical s t which is precisely the pitch of the gauge of'the stranditself, and therefore uniform. In addition to the composite setformingpurpose in wrapping it about the roller 1, the purpose of confining itin a-shallow groove in that roller is to cause its acquired helical set,in conjunction with theroller 83, or by reason of its one and one-halfwraps, to be uniformly of constant pitch, and also to cause the strandto stand-outwardly from theroll 1-, as i it passes thereabout,sufficiently that it .will he firmly gripped or vised between the roller1 and each of the confining roller 83 and 'the'fulcrum roller 2, andalso torestrain any tendencyjof theswraps of the. strand aboutthesroller 1 to be deflected displacedin an axial direction from theplane determined bythe groove, under the influence, for exam ple, of :adeflecting force located at a definite point and there applied tothestrands outrunning, free .end.

It is clear how the strand is given .a uniform coil set by wrapping it,by a half turn, .or by onezand one-half turns, aboutthe formingroller1,, for whatever its coil set before, the malleable 'strandnow takesacoil set which throughout is determined by the diameterof the roller 1,to which it is closely held by the rollers:83 and 2. It is likewisegiven a uniform helical set at the same time, in either of twoalternative ways. If it is wrapped once and a half, or more, timeswithin the closely confining groove 19,, it will acquire a helic'al setwhich is characteristic of a coil .of a pitch exactly equal to itsgauge, But it can be given :a uniform helical set if wrapped only a halfturn about the roller .1, as in Figure 9. To do this, the strand isdelivered from the last of the malleabilizing rolls at a level slightlyabove or below-the level of the groove 19; in entering the groove at thepoint where it is closely confined therein by the confining roller '83the strand-is deflected, and is curled about the edge :of the groove.This gives it .auniform acquired bend which would result in formingahelix of constant pitch, which blends with the acquired coil set toproduce a uniform resultant curvature having two components, replacingthe variable resultant of non-uniform coil and helical sets. Thisuniform resultant curvature, whichever way acquired,1can now bestraightened .by a single force-if preferred, such single force can bedivided among a plurality of agenciesof constant value and directionwhich is a resultant of two forces each of constant value and directionwhich oppose,.respectively, the acquired coil-set and the acquiredhelical set.

If the strand had not been given a definite and uniform helical set orcoil set in its passagesabout the roller 1 within its groove thereof,but instead were perfectly straight, its :offrunningend would emerge ina direction which would be precisely tangential to-the two rollers 1 and2 at their point of nearrcontact or nearest approach. If. then,such'offrunning end were deflected in the general plane'of that grooveor of the two rollers, into a posi tion at an angle to this line ofcommon .tangency, the strand would be continuously bent or curved inthat direction and would acquire a pure coil set. Likewise, if it weredeflected solely upwardly or downwardly from the plane of its groovethere would be a tendency to curl it in that-direction, perpendicular tothe plane of such an assumed coil set. Since the strand has already beengiven a definite coil set in its passage about the roller 1 and in thegroove 19 thereof, its oifwnning free end does not follow a line oftangency, but rather tends to curl away from the same in a constantdirection and amount toward thevside occupied by the roller 1, andsimilarly, since it has already been given a definite helicalset, itwill tend. to. depart from the general plane of the groovewitjhin whi-hit was seated in thedirection and by the constant amount determined bysuch ac quir d he al set. Accor ngly, hi P s l to app y to theoffrunning free end of the strand, immediately past the vising point orfulcrum P int where it emerges from between the rollers 1 and 2, asingle force which is a resultant of two components, one of which isdirectly opposite the acquired coil set in direction and degree, and theother of which is directly opposite the acquired helical set indirection and degree, and so by the single resultant of these twocomponent forces to precisely counterbend the ofirunning strand at thissingle point and to neutralize its just-acquired sets, both helical andcoil, andto leave it needle-straight, provided, of course, theadjustment of th deflecting means is sufficiently accuratelyaccomplished. However, it is to be noted here that since the acquiredhelical set and coil set is each of predetermined and constant degreeand direction, there is no variation of the deflecting force required atthe deflectingpoint, either in degree or direction. Conse quently, onceset accurately for a given wireand for given conditions ofoperation-speed, drag, and the likethe single uniform force, so applied,and so adjusted, can by itself effect precise, needle-straightstraightening of strands which are of widely-varying characteristics,and of widely different inherent sets initially The-:deflectingmeans, toapply'a force about th'e'fulerurndefined at the common point of tangencyof the rollers 1 and 2, Y n'si'sts of the roller 3, inthepartieula'r- 7embodiment illustrated. Additional rollers 41, 42 and 43 are shown inthe vicinity of the deflecting roller 3, but these are of a differentnature, for a different purpose, and are differently used, and theprinciples governing their use, or non-use, will be pointed outhereinafter. They are alluded to at this point primarily to make clearthat as normally adjusted and employed they are not deflecting norcounterbending rollers, merely guide rollers for the alreadystraightened, ofi'running strand.

The deflecting roller 3, which is grooved, is not necessarily rotative,and normally would not be. For ease and fineness of adjustment it ismounted upon the short end of a lever 31 pivoted at 30 upon a plate 4which is carried upon and bodily adjustable with respect to the base 9,being secured in any given adjusted position by the means shown at 40.Bodily adjustment of the plate 4 relative to the base 9 provides forcoarse adjustment of the deflecting roller 3 with respect to the path ofthe olfrunning end of the strand, and also to assist in pointing thestraightened strand, after greater or lesser deflection, at a fixedtarget point of use, and its fine adjustment is accomplished by anyconvenient means such as are represented by itssupporting lever arm 31and the latters adjustment about its pivot at 30, and the securement ofthe arm in position by a clamp block 32 which, by means of a bolt 33received in a bridge 49, presses the arm 31 tightly against the plate 4.

Each of the guide rollers 41, 42 and 43 is mounted and adjustablesimilarly to the deflecting roller 3, hence need not be described indetail, but since the intended function of these rollers 41, 42 and 43is merely to support the offrunning strand immediately after it has beenstraightened, and when it may still be somewhat malleable and have atendency to sag and thus to lose its straightness, they are preferaly soadjusted, as shown in Figure 1, that they merely contact the strand andsupport it after it leaves the deflecting roller 3, but they themselvesdo not deflect it in any way. In order to emphasize that these rollersordinarily have no straightening function and are not necessary when thestrand has no tendency to sag they are shown in Figure 8 completely outof contact with the olfrunning strand, and the deflection of the latterfrom the position shown in dot-dash lines to that shown in full lines isaccomplished wholly by the deflecting roller 3.

There may be occasions when the operator does not care to adjust theposition of roller 3, relatively to the path of the offrunning strand,with the fine accuracy required to complete the straightening by thatroller alone.

If such should be the case, it is possible to employ one or more of thesubsequent rollers 41, 42, 43 as straightening rollers, acting in thesame manner as roll 3, or cooperating as do known banks of straighteningrolls. It is possible, however, to neutralize an acquired coil set bythe action of the single roller 3, and this novel discovery is uniqueherein.

So far the discussion of the operation of the deflecting roller 3 hasbeen principally concerned with the elimination of coil set. This sameroller, however, is preferably employed to eliminate also, singly, andsimultaneously with elimination of the coil set, the acquired helicalset in the strand. To this end the roller 3, and correspondingly therollers 41, 42 and 43, are adjustable axially along their supportingposts and with respect to their supporting levers, such as the lever 31.This is best shown in Figures 2 and 5. To this end each such roller isheld upon its supporting post, such as the post 35, between the nuts 34threaded thereon above and below the roller. The roller 3 is grooved,and, preferably, the guide rollers beyond it are also grooved, but thegroove in the deflecting roller 3, as best seen in Figure 5, enables thestrand, oifrunning from the vising point, to be deflected downwardly ifthe acquired helical set would otherwise tend to direct the oifrunningstrand upwardly, or the reverse, depending upon the manner in which thestrand is wrapped in its groove 1d about the roller 1. This deflectionin the axial direction is just sufficient in amount and direction toprecisely neutralize the acquired helical set, however acquired. Itfollows that at this single deflecting point it is possible to apply asingle resultant force to the oifrunning strand, uniform in degree anddirection because it is made up of a coil-set-neutralizing component anda helical-set-neutralizing component, each of which is uniform in degreeand direction, which resultant force will precisely and continuously,without subsequent adjustment, remove the composite bend or curvaturewhich the strand has just acquired in its passage about the roller 1,and the strand will leave the deflecting roller 3 precisely straight.The guide rollers, in such number as may be required, are employedbeyond that point to support the strand until the danger of its saggingis past, or, as previously explained, they can be adjusted in likemanner to supplement the straightening action of the roller 3, also inthe elimination of the helical set.

Adjustment of the rollers 3, 41, 42 and 43, vertically serves also tobring them into the proper relationship to the general plane defined bythat one of the two grooves 19 about the roller 1 which is to be used,if there be two such grooves.

It will be clear that strands of different size or of differentmaterial, or of other differing physical characteristics, will requiredifferent degrees of counterbending, or deflection, in order tostraighten them. For instance, large gauge steel spring Wire requires arather high degree of counterbending in order to straighten it, whereasa soft wire requires a small degree of counterbending. Likewise, it willbe appreciated that wire of different gauge or cross-sectional diameterwill spread apart the rollers 1 and 2 by different amounts, and thatthis movement of the roller 1 relative to the roller 2 will be doubledand reflected in the necessity for adjustment of the guide roller 33.

It is in part for the purpose of accommodating the different degrees ofdeflection required by different kinds of Wire, that the base 9 ispivotally mounted upon the subbase 90, and that the deflecting roller 3has been mounted upon the plate 4, and that the later has been madebodily adjustable for coarse adjustment, after which the roller 3 andits supporting lever 31 can be adjusted to a fine degree, and are heldby the securing means 32, 33. Comparison of Figures 1 and 8 will showsome of the differences of adjustment which are possible.

Figure 7 shows the adjustment of the roller l to accommodate differentsizes of wire, the resultant displacement of roller 83, and thecorresponding adjustment which is entailed thereby in the position ofthe bank of malleabiizing rollers and the guide roller 82. The lattermust cooperate, in guiding the strand through the malleablizing bank 7,with the final guide roller 83, and with the roller 1 in confining thestrand within the groove 19. These two rollers 82 and 83 must both bemounted for adjustment in common, and the intervening malleablizingrollers must similarly be mounted for adjustment in common, Whereforeall are mounted upon the arm 91 for adjustment about the point 92. Inthis manner the strand is adequately guided as it runs onto and from thefirst guide roller 8, onto and from the second guide roller 82, and toand immediately beyond the final guide roller 83. Adjustment of thelatter is required for each different gauge of wire, so that it is heldclosely within the selected groove 19 of the forming roller 1.

It has been explained that the rollers in the bank 7, which preferablyare nonrotative in use, have at least the function of providing anadequate and uniform drag on the strand in advance of itscounterbending, and preferably have the additional function ofmalleablizing a strand preparatory to its being given a predeterminedacquired set or sets. The supporting plate 70 is therefore groovedvertically, as indicated at 72, and each roller of this bank is carriedby a pin 73 and secured by nuts or the like 74, threaded thereon, atdesired elevations in their respective slots 72, so as to give thestrand, as it advances, a sinuous movement in a vertical plane, of anydesired amplitude. Additionally, the paired rollers 7a and 7b which,like the other rollers 71a and 71b are grooved, are projected outwardlyfrom the supporting plate 70 by means of interposed washers 75 ofdifferent thickness than the washers interposed between the rollers 71aand 71b and the plate 70, so that thereby the strand is guided anddeflected repeatedly in a sinuous path horizontally, and its amplitudein this plane is variable in accordance with the thickness of therespective washers. By thus giving the strand, in a single short bank, acombined sinuous motion partly in a horizontal plane and partly in avertical plane, the internal stresses existing in the strand arerelieved and the strand is to a mild degree made malleable, so that whenit is passed about the forming and guiding roller 1 it will take andacquire a set which is not the same as and bears no necessaryrelationship to its initial set, but which is of predetermined degreeand direction. Nevertheless, it is preferred that the wraps aboutrollers 8, 82, and 1 be the same sense as the initial wraps of theorigmal coilcounterclockwise, as shown-since by so arranging them theviolence of counterbending is a minimum.

Moreover, by using the rollers of the bank 7, and by their adjustment asdesired, such degree of drag can be placed upon the strand, between thereel or swift from which it is being unwound or flitted and the roller1, that variations in its tension are not reflected as it wraps aboutthe forming roller 1, but rather it is under constant and uniformtension at that point, and consequently 1s given a uniform degree of setas it wraps thereabout.

It is preferred that the strand be advanced by driving the rollers 1 and2, as already explained. However, it is not outside the scope of thisinvention to provide in the known manner for pulling the wire throughbeyond the deflecting point 3. In such case it is preferred that thegears and 25 be omitted. However, in any pulling operation, care must betaken that the wire, once straightened, is not deflected or bent by anysuch pulling means, and it is in part to insure the pointing of the wireaccurately at any such pulling point or points, or at the point where itenters another machine and is engaged for further operation (such as acut-01f machine), without deflection, that the plate 4 is made bodilyadjustable in the extent and to the degree shown, and that the base 9 ismade adjustable through a considerable angle relative to the sub-base 90and the pivotaxis at 20.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wire straightener, in combination with a base, a sub-basewhereon said base is pivotally mounted to swing laterally in its ownplane, a pair of cooperating rollers mounted upon said base, one thereofconstituting a pressure roller and being journaled coaxially with thebases pivotal mounting, the other constituting a forming roller andbeing shallowly grooved, and being guided for movement towards and fromthe pressure roller to vise a strand received in and outstanding fromthe groove of and passing about said forming roller, spring means urgingthe forming roller towards the pressure roller, and a single deflectingroller mounted upon said base for adjustment transversely of the strandspath as it issues from between the cooperating rollers, to deflect thestrand in such direction and by such amount as is required to counterany set which it may retain.

2. A wire straightener as in claim 1, including a plate mounted uponsaid base and adjustable transversely of the strands path, supportingmeans for the deflecting roller, mounted upon said plate and adjustablerelative thereto for final adjustment of the deflecting roller relativeto the strands path, after coarse adjustment of said plate.

3. A wire straightener as in claim 2, including guide rollers beyond thedeflecting roller, in position to engage the strand, and supportingmeans for said guide rollers mounted on the plate foradjustment,consonant with the adjustment of the deflecting roller, to engage andconfine the straightened strand beyond the deflecting roller to astraight path while it is subject to sagging.

4. Wire straightening apparatus comprising a rotational forming rollerprovided with a peripheral groove formed to receive and retain a wirethat has both coil and helical set therein to, thereby, confine saidwire to a path lying in a plane that is normal to the axis of rotationof said roller, a rotational guiding roller on an axis parallel to theaxis of the forming roller and in rolling contact with a wire enteringsaid groove, a rotational pressure roller on an axis parallel to theaxes of the forming roller and the guiding roller and in rolling contactwith a wire at the point where the same leaves the groove in the formingroller, said three rollers being disposed in the same general plane, theguiding roller and the pressure roller being angularly spaced around theaxis of the forming roller, means to adjust the position of the guidingroller with relation to the wire in the groove of the forming roller toproduce free rotational engagement of the guiding roller with the wire,means to resiliently press the forming and pressure rollers toward eachother to produce a rolling inter-engagement of the pressure roller andthe wire, means to drive said forming and pressure rollers in adirection to move the wire trained around and in the groove in theformer roller in a direction outward of said groove, a freely rotationaland grooved wire-deflecting roller in the path of the wire as it leavesthe forming and pressure rollers, means to adjust the deflecting rollerin the plane common said said rollers to direct the wire in a path at anangle to the line of tangency between the forming and pressure rollers,and separate means to adjust said deflecting roller in a directiontransverse to said last mentioned plane to direct the wire in a path atan angle to said plane.

5. Wire straightening apparatus comprising three substantially coplanarrollers on parallel axes arranged with two of said rollers in operativerolling contact with a wire trained around the third roller, said thirdroller being provided with a peripheral groove in which the wire isconfined in a curved path between two rollers, means to adjust one ofsaid two rollers relative to the grooved roller to adjust the degree ofrolling contact between said adiustable roller and the wire in thegroove, means to resiliently press the other of said two rollers and thegrooved roller toward each other, means to drive the two latter rollersto feed the wire therebetween and move said wire continuously into,around and past the mentioned groove, a freely rotational and groovedwiredeflecting roller in the path of the wire as it leaves said groove,means to adjust the deflecting roller in the plane of the rollers todirect the wire in a path at an angle to the line of tangency betweenthe resiliently pressed and driven rollers, and separate means to adjustsaid deflecting roller in a direction transverse to said plane to directthe wire in a path at an angle to said plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 296,551 Frost Apr- 8, 1884 296,671 Bryant Apr. 8, 1884 482,071Bryant Sept. 6, 1892 736,472 Anderson Aug. 18, 1903 998,087 Greiner July18, 1911 1,103,718 West July 14, 1914 1,252,115 Hughes Jan. 1, 19181,751,094 Matteson Mar. 18, 1930 1,824,568 Pierce Sept. 22, 19311,864,338 Burd June 21, 1932 1,914,975 Nigro June 20, 1933 2,057,806Whitehead Oct. 20, 1936 2,136,714 Simons Nov. 15, 1938 2,337,047 HunterDec. 21, 1943 2,369,234 Illmer Feb. 13, 1945 2,462,396 Heller Feb. 22,1949

